MAIN Home Life Entertaining Wine Blush & Rosé Wines

They're sometimes called the 'summertime wines' and to wine snobs rosés are lightweight stepchildren to the more 'reputable' full-blooded reds.

However, today blush or rosé wine continues to gain fans from around the world resulting in increased production of some excellent rosé wines coming from areas in Portugal, France, Spain, Canada, Australia and the USA.

White Zinfandel, very popular in the USA, is not a true rose, but a blush, the result of "bleeding" ( saignee ) - removing some of the fluid to give red zinfandel more color and flavor.

While a mix of white and red wine is sometimes called a rosé, in fact it isn't a true rosé. Just as red wines get their color from the grape skins, rosé wines are carefully produced by removing the skins just before the liquid is a deep red. The taste is always light, but most have overtones closer to reds.

If you are one of the growing legion of aficionados who like to drink pink, find out more about your favorite libation along with how it's produced including the finer points of food pairing ...

More information about rosé wine around the Web:

French Wine - Rosé Wine Making - The delicate operation explained in a way that enhances wine making's reputation as an art.

The Cook's Thesaurus - Blush Wines - Quick factoids on what blush is, and isn't, with brief illustrated wine notes on the different varieties available.

Pretty & Pink: Dry Rosés - It seems everyone makes excuses and then goes on to say how much they enjoyed the rosés they tasted. This article follows the trend. Several labels are discussed without a "sweet as candy" blush in the bunch.

rose food pairing - The complete list of egg, meat, fish, Chinese or Italian dishes that pair especially well.

Stop and smell the roses - rosé wines - Follow the trail of light colored wines reaching back to ancient Greece and then skip through the 60s and 70s American flirtation with sweet pinks to modern champagnes and mature rosés.

Southern Rhone Roses - This is an older article, but still an excellent review of the rosé wines of Tavel, Lirac and the Côtes du Rhône, and a fun read.

Bottled in Bordeaux - Bordeaux Clairet is a light colored wine that is still produced, but the claret that Americans and British enjoy is a red Bordeaux wine.

also see in Wine -> Champagne | Wine & Food Pairing

Wine Grapes | Port & Sherry | Red Wines

Sparkling Wines | White Wines